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Askal
"Like it or not, we're the same person now. You best get used to it." - Magnus, to Askal Askal is an Abyssian from the void dimension of Abyssia. Once an unknown soldier from a distant land, Askal became a reaper and was feared by many. He was eventually betrayed by his employers and exiled from his home dimension. Having lost his original body due to the effects of inter-dimensional travel, he now inhabits Magnus' mind. History Origin Askal was born in 10,552 B.C., in the Abyssian city of Arkestral. Much of his early life is unknown, as he had not entered records until he joined the Mazkeon Army at the young age of 207. His fellow soldiers described him as a "terror on the battlefield" and a "silver-haired devil". Askal became known as a master of many different weapon styles, though he preferred his katana Hakilon the most. As well as his weaponry, he utilized both pyrokinesis and the innate Abyssian trait of negative energy manipulation. His skills were tested when the army went to war against the denizens of the Downworld, who battled for control over the mysterious location called the Soul Nexus. It was during this war that he met someone who would become his best friend; Hakon. The nature of their friendship was never known, though perhaps they bonded over admiration for each other's prowess in combat. The two of them were unstoppable, and slaughtered thousands of foes together. Somehow, Hakon was able to defeat the most dangerous of wildlife that graced the Downworld; the mighty Godwrath Draconius was a force of nature, contributing to many apocalyptic prophecies as an omen of ill times. Such was a towering dragon that invaded the vicinity of the Soul Nexus, but alike his other victims, Hakon destroyed the beast with all of his power. Shortly after the thought-to-be impossible feat, the Nexus Wars ended. Perhaps his departure spoke ill of the war and such pointless endeavors; though, Askal was not one to abandon his post. He took the honors in Hakon's stead, and was promoted to the Reaper Caste on the very next day. Askal honed his craft even further after becoming a reaper. As was the job of his caste, he hunted down those who neared the end of their lives and harvested their souls. In honor of his newly assigned career, he was gifted Evergile; a truly unique scythe without peer. In just 7 short years, Askal became one of most loyal and powerful reapers that the Sanctum had ever hired. So much so that some came to loathe his status. Betrayal Sometime into his career as a reaper, Askal learned of a plot to assassinate the Sanctum; the leader of said plot was a fellow reaper, Calso. The being known as Calso had a strong distaste for Askal, purely fueled by envy of his status and the favoritism he gained from the Sanctum. As an act of revenge, Calso and his followers plotted to destroy the Sanctum and send Mazkeon and much of the Babylonian cities into anarchy. This plot was unable to be carried out as Askal, the loyal dog that he was, confronted and slew Calso where he stood. His story did not end there however, as the seeds of destruction had already be sown. While Calso was being slain, one of his followers had informed the Sanctum of the assassination plot, blaming Askal as the mastermind behind the whole thing. Askal was brought before the Sanctum in chains, as although he attempted to express his innocence in the matter, it was impossible to convince them otherwise. Who better to orchestrate an assassination plot than the Sanctum's most trusted reaper? With the ultimate decision made, the verdict was exile. Askal was bound in a suit of armor called the Black Seal; it was a mysterious armor that inhibited the innate abilities of any who wore it. Forced to wear this armor, Askal was banished from Abyssia and forced to live in the realm of humanity; planet Earth. Furious with his exiling, Askal desired to slay as many humans as he could. Gone was his reserved nature, forcefully stripped away from him as was his rank. He wandered Earth for a long time, unable to do much of anything. Since the Black Seal locked away his power, he felt weak. He felt helpless and all this was because of a man he killed. Though Calso had died, the assassination plot was carried out by his followers. Though Askal would never find this out, the Sanctum had been slain and Mazkeon was thrown into a period of turmoil. Though the Sanctum was eventually replaced by 5 new members, these Abyssians were far worse. Metamorphosis As Askal wandered Earth, he felt the powers of the Black Seal becoming stronger and stronger. What had started as power loss soon became memory loss; Askal was eventually unable to remember his own name. The being who walked in armor was no longer the reaper known as Askal. His time on Earth had changed him into someone else entirely. This figure wandered aimless throughout the world, hoping to find some place to stay. Eventually stumbling upon a small village of humans, the being befriended these people and helped them. As this being grew to take on its own memories, it took a name as well; Magnus. Though the village ended with tragedy, Magnus took his armored body and came to combat the creatures that lurked in the darkness all over the world. Askal had his consciousness still trapped within the body of Magnus; they shared the same body but not the same mind. Though Magnus now had control over the body, Askal was able to speak to him through his thoughts. Askal was outraged that something like this could happen. His anger manifested through Magnus experiencing headaches and coughing, with Askal still wishing himself to be released so he may take his revenge. However, it had already become far too late. Askal eventually realized that his vengeance was futile, as he was nothing more than a thought in the head of a body that was no longer his. Askal resigned to teach his successor, training him in the arts that he once mastered ages ago. Weapon combat, pyrokinesis, negative energy and other abilities all became a part of Magnus' arsenal. As Magnus grew stronger with the help of Askal, the two working together managed to break the Black Seal; the armor crumbled away and revealed a changed man. Their shared body was more akin to a human, with some differing features. Though still not fully approving of humanity as a whole, Askal mostly agreed to help Magnus in his quest to protect those who could not protect themselves. Someday, Askal hopes that he may avenge his honor and destroy those that destroyed what he once had. And where Magnus fails, Askal shall rise again to vanquish the darkness. Appearance Askal is Abyssian, so he holds features that normally do not apply to humans. His skin is pale, almost white entirely; his stark white hair often is style towards the right, in a way to conceal his right eye, which no longer functions. His good eye is a harsh and menacing crimson color, sometimes said to peer straight into the soul of those he targets. He wears a skin-tight body suit, overlaid with various bits of armor to protect his figure from attacks. While lacking any sort of significant musculature, Askal doesn't need it; he prides himself as a nimble fighter. Personality As a harsh contrast to the kindness of his successor, Askal is incredibly selfish and introverted. He cares only for himself and rarely sees reason to help others, or even talk to them. As a direct result of this, he had made few friends in life, only bonding to one because they served in the same war. Even after being inducted into the Reaper Caste, Askal rarely contacted his superiors in person; he was more inclined to receive orders out of person, either from couriers or via dead drops. However, despite his personality, he had few opinions on the outside world. He hated humans, specifically because of how much they were drawn to conflict. Since the Reaper Caste was tasked with collecting souls, Earth had always been a popular venue because of all their wars. Askal seemed to dislike being there greatly, if only for believing that they went to war for the most foolish of reasons. Even now, with Askal bound to Magnus, Askal still remains selfish. He only helps Magnus out of necessity; otherwise, Askal dislikes him immensely. Relationships Magnus Being bound to Magnus' body, Askal is forced to give forth his power and aid the demon hunter. It was not by choice; Abyssians had odd reactions when forced into other planes of existence for extended periods of time. Askal's reaction was that his consciousness was separated from his body, replaced with a new one. Even though he found his way back somehow, Magnus was now in control. Askal resents this immensely, though he helps Magnus anyways. Askal believes that if Magnus were to die, so would he; in the interest of self-preservation, Askal helps Magnus however he can.Category:Characters Category:Abyssians Category:Lore